The Real Group is a professional a cappella group from Sweden, consisting of five members: sopranoEmma Nilsdotter, altoKatarina Henryson, tenorAnders Edenroth, baritonePeder Karlsson, and bassAnders Jalkéus. Margareta Bengtson had been the Soprano with the group since its inception, but broke off from the group to work on her solo albums at the end of 2006. Johanna Nyström filled her spot for some time, until Emma Nilsdotter replaced her in 2008, and had her first appearance with the group in Kremlin Palace[1]. Johanna Nyström has also filled in for both Margareta Bengtson and Katarina Henryson whenever they have been on maternity leave or otherwise away.
The group's members compose or arrange most of the songs that they perform. A large portion of the group's recorded songs are sung in English, with the remainder being almost entirely in Swedish.
The Real Group was formed in 1984, when its original members were students at the Swedish Royal College of Music.
Musical style
Vocal ranges of the members
Emma Nilsdotter: ???(not posted on website)
Katarina Henryson: From D below middle C up to high C.
Anders Edenroth: From C below middle C up to A below high C.
Peder Karlsson: From low E up to C above middle C.
Anders Jalkéus: From contra A up to G above middle C.
Vocal ranges of previous members
Johanna Nyström: ??? (not posted on website)
Margareta Bengtson: From F below middle C up to G above high C
Performances
The Real Group has performed in more than 2000 concerts worldwide.
In 2002 The Real Group performed at the opening ceremony of The FIFA World Cup in Seoul. They performed live to the audience of 60 000.
Thirteen tracks, 3 in Swedish and the rest in English. Recorded around one microphone, where the artists used tape on the floor to denote how far/close to position themselves to the mic.
Released in Sweden under the title "jazz:live". Twelve tracks: ten in English, one in Swedish, one with no lyrics. All tracks are live performances in concert.
Title translates "All the best". A best of album with twenty tracks, four of them previously unreleased. Eight tracks in English, ten in Swedish, one in Spanish, one with no lyrics. Three tracks are live performances in concert.
Twenty-two tracks, all in Swedish. Swedish folk songs, all choral in their musical style. The performances were recorded without overdubbing and were directed by the well-known Swedish choral director Eric Ericson.
Fifteen tracks: three in English, nine in Swedish, two in Norwegian, one with no lyrics. Four tracks are live performances in concert. Includes a video clip of a live performance of "Clown of the Jungle", an a cappella arrangement of the soundtrack to a Disney short film by the same name[2].
June 12, 2003
The Real Thing
Thirteen tracks: 5 in Swedish, rest in English. Only 2 tracks previously unreleased, a re-recorded version of "Dancing Queen", as well as "Song from the snow" created for a Korean movie. Also has an accompanying Video-CD as disc 2.
Nine tracks, all in Swedish, three previous released. This album is a tribute to Swedish entertainer Povel Ramel, a long-standing fan of The Real Group and vice versa. The Real Group received Ramel's Karamelodiktstipendiet, a scholarship funded by Ramel, in 2002. Of particular notice is the last track, "Konditori Forgätmigej" written by Anders Edenroth. It is written in the tradition of Povel's style of music writing, an appropriate last farewell to an old friend. Margareta Bengtson joined the group in studio to record this album.
Trivia
The group cites Bobby McFerrin as an early source of inspiration: "What we do may never have happened if we hadn't heard his [albums]."[3].
The Real Group does not tour often in the United States; to avoid extended absence from their families, the group has a policy not to take tours lasting longer than one week, and tour-booking management agencies in the US don't generally accept such relatively short tour lengths.[4]
Margareta Bengtson and Anders Jalkéus were previously married to each other, but have since divorced.[4] Up until the August 31, 2006 announcement of her planned retirement from The Real Group, the group's publications still referred to Bengtson as Margareta Jalkéus.
On December 22, 1993, to commemorate the fiftieth birthday of Queen Silvia of Sweden, The Real Group backed up former ABBA member Anni-Frid Lyngstad in a performance of the ABBA hit "Dancing Queen", using an a cappella arrangement that would later be released on the album "Varför får man inte bara vara som man är".
Awards
Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs):
1995: Best Contemporary Cover: "Dancing Queen" from Varför får man inte bara vara som man är
1995: Best Jazz Song: "Flight of the Foo-Birds" from Varför får man inte bara vara som man är
1996: Best Female Vocalist: Margareta Bengtson
1997: Live Album of the Year: Live in Stockholm
1997: Best Original Pop Song
1997: Best Jazz Song
1997: Best Female Vocalist: Margareta Bengtson
1998: Best Holiday Album: En riktig jul
2003: Best Classical Album: Stämning
2003: Runner Up for Best Classical Song: "En vänlig grönskas rika dräkt" from Stämning
2004: Best Holiday Album: Julen en her
2004: Best Holiday Song: "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" from Julen En Her
Encyclopedia
top
